Kyoto Arashiyama Hanatouro Introduced in Three Languages

Kyoto Sangyo University Students Translate Maps

Photo= Students at Kyoto Sangyo University who translated a strolling map for Kyoto Arashiyama Hanatouro from Japanese into English, Chinese and Korean (Sakyo Ward, Kyoto City)

Students at Kyoto Sangyo University translated a strolling map from Japanese into English, Chinese and Korean, in order for foreign visitors to enjoy "Kyoto Arashiyama Hanatouro," an illumination event with lanterns taking place around the Arashiyama area in Ukyo Ward, Kyoto City, from December 9 to December 18. They obtained advice from international students and completed the maps. "We hope that our maps will be helpful for many people." said the students.

The maps were translated by approximately 50 students from three seminars, which belong to the Faculties of Cultural Studies and Foreign Studies at Kyoto Sangyo University. The organizer, the Kyoto Hanatoro Promotion Council, made a request to the students for the work.

The students had trouble translating some words, whose meanings are changed by translating literally. For example, "light up" means "to illuminate a big character" in Chinese. Even in English, they wavered on translation because the word "Hayashi or Rin" in a two-character compound "Chikurin" has two meanings: "a forest on a mountain" and "a grove." The students tried using easy-to-understand expressions, confirming foreign equivalents for Japanese words with international students.

The students said that they would also distribute the maps voluntarily during the period. A third-year student of the faculty of Foreign Studies, who was in charge of translation into Chinese, said, "Translation for telling something to people differed completely from the usual study. We want to convey the attractions of Kyoto directly."